Adapted from Tafsir Ibn Ashur

Themes and purpose:

This Makkan surah is primarily a detailed life story of Prophet Moses, tracing his youth and early struggles against Pharaoh. Its purpose is to console the Prophet (ﷺ) and the oppressed Muslims, affirming that Allah's cosmic law dictates the humbling of the arrogant (Pharaoh, Qārūn) and the eventual empowerment of the weak [v. 5].

Context of Revelation:

Era: Makkan.

Context: The surah hints at the Muslims’ impending emigration and gives the promise of victory [5]. Some said that ayah 85 was revealed while the Prophet (ﷺ) was en route to Madinah, which served as a profound consolation for leaving his homeland. 

Chronology: It has been counted as the 49th surah in the order of revelation, revealed after Sūrat al-Naml and before al-Isrā’.

Relationship to preceding surahs: It is the last of the three sequential Ṭawāsīn (surahs starting with Ṭā-Sīn), which were revealed one after the other in the same order they are arranged in the compiled Quran, and they resemble one another in beginning with the mention of Mūsā; this likely influenced their being placed together. This surah expands what is summarised in 26:18-19 by detailing how Mūsā was raised in Pharaoh’s household and clarifying the causes of Pharaoh’s downfall, and it expands the brief scene in 27:7 by detailing Mūsā’s journey with his family and the setting of the call. This makes it the fullest account of Mūsā’s early formation up to delivering the call, while later events are summarised because their fuller detail appears elsewhere (notably in Sūrat al-Aʿrāf and al-Shuʿarāʾ).

Name and Ayah Count:

Name: The surah’s only known name is "Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ" (The Story). It takes its name from ayah 25, where Moses "recounts his story" to his new father-in-law after fleeing Egypt. Because the surah itself narrates what Moses narrated, it becomes a narrative that recounts a narrative—so the motif of qaṣaṣ is deeply embedded throughout.

Ayah Count: 88 by unanimous agreement.

Surah Overview:

• Praising the Quran and implicitly challenging the polytheists’ eloquence with its inimitability. [1–2]
• Detailing the early life of Moses, particularly his upbringing within Pharaoh’s household, culminating with Pharaoh’s downfall and a clarification of its causes. [3-43]
• Establishing that Allah's law is to elevate the oppressed and destroy the arrogant. [5]
• The Prophet’s detailed knowledge of Moses's history while being illiterate is proof of revelation. [44-46]
• Refuting the polytheists’ demand for “miracles like Mūsā”. [48]
• The challenge to produce “a book more guiding than these two” (the Quran and the Torah). [49-50]
• Commending a believing group from the People of the Book who recognise the Quran as true revelation. [51–55]
• Guidance belongs to Allah alone: “You do not guide whom you love.” [56]
• Refuting Quraysh’s fear-based excuse about losing security if they follow guidance; reminder of Allah’s provision and past destructions. [57–59]
• Contrast between this life and the next; scenes of the Day of Judgment dismantling polytheism. [60–67]
• Proving Monotheism by using signs of creation and the Day of Judgment. [68-75]
• Warning against Worldly Pride: Using the example of Qārūn in Moses's time, whose pride led to his destruction. [76-84]
• Consoling the Prophet (ﷺ) and the believers with the promise of divine aid and return to Makkah. [85]
• Final marching orders: no support for disbelievers; persist in calling to God, associate no partners with Him; everything perishes except Allah. [86–88]